Container closure lock



p i 1954 H. v. BOLDING CONTAINER CLOSURE LOCK Filed Ajax-i1 9, 1951 14 INVENTQR ATTORN Y Patented Apr. 27, 1954 2,676,751 CONTAINER CLOSURE LOCK Hubert Velman Boldin signor to The Brad g, Jeifersonville, Ind., a'sley & Gilbert Company,

Louisville,'Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Application April 9, 1951, Serial No. 220,101

1 Claim. (01. 22939) This invention relates to closures for containers and more particularly to a locking arrangement for retaining in closed position the bottom of a container made of flexible fibrous sheet material 11 or the like.

The need for a container of flexible fibrous material which may be shipped in flat condition and stored in that manner, but easily and quickly set up for use by the retailer, has always existed. Transportation to the point of use in facilitated where such containers may be shipped in the flat for subsequent erection when needed for use. Storage requirements of the user or retailer are tremendously reduced where such a container may be so simply and quickly erected and conditioned for use that the salesman may perform this operation at the time of sale. Under such circumstances no more time or effort is required than would be necessary to place the -goods in a bag.

This particular need is felt in varying degrees by retailers of various products. siderable emphasis is placed on the problem where the goods retailed are of the type customarily placed in boxes. Shoes are chandise.

An object of this invention is to satisfy the a good example of such mervery definite need described above and to do so. in the most inexpensive and facile manner from I the point of view of carton construction, speed "1 However, con-v ready-made space-consuming of erection, and simplicity of'locking the assei'n bly when erected.

Incidental to this broad object, and commensurate with it in importance, is the provision of a locking arrangement which will withstand avery considerable pressure in anopening direction and which will not'become dislocated by rough or careless handling of the loaded container. arrange the locking In addition,

mechanism it is most desirable to so that it isinconspicuous to a high degree and the continuityof any design or decoration imprinted on the-com tainer will not be broken when the various 'elements are moved into interlocking engagement.

In this way the overall appearance and appeal of a decorative fiber carton. surface will not be impaired. Further, there will be noneed for special designs and printing, with consequent additional cost, to. deemphasize or hide the elements of the locking assembly. The appearance of my'improved carton when assembled and in locked f position is one of substantially continuous surfaces.

Numerous pts have been made to realize" I4 is another top lap l8.

tongue and slot arrangements described and illustrated in such patents as Palmer 2,160,164 and Petter 1,963,378. Insofar as is known,-the closest approach to a real solution of the particular problems outlined above is to be found in the arrangement disclosed in Ringholz 2,361,124. However, it is to benoted that the arrangement disclosed therein requires considerable particularit'y in handling during the closing movement and sensitive guidance of the various locking elements during the combined closing and locking manipulation. This is in contradistinction to the ease and facility with which the various elements of this invention are brought into locking engagement.

Aside from the fact that the cooperative relationship of the locking elements described herein are entirely novel, closure and locking of this improved arrangement are obtained by two distinct and successive steps, each of which is the essence of simplicity and requires no particular attention on'the part of the operator.

Various other objects and meritorious features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures, and wherein:

i Fig. 1 is a plan view, broken through the middle of its side walls, of the blank from which my improved carton is formed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective illustrating the various interengaging locking elements when the bottom of the container is partially closed;

Fig;-3 is a' perspective showing the bottom of of carton fully closed and ready for locking;

showing the bottom of the container is assembled is preferably of flexible cardboard or the like and comprises side walls 10,12, [4 and l'6.""Hingedly connected as by means of a score line to the upper edge of wall "I is a top lap l1 and similarly hinged to wall Hinged in similar manner to the top edge of wall 16 is a top 20 provided with a tuck 22.

Hingedly connected to the lower edges of walls 10 and 14 are bottom laps 24 and 26. Each of these laps is cut away diagonally along its outer edge as indicated at 28 and 36 for a reason to be brought out more clearly hereinafter.

Hinged to the bottom marginal edge of wall 12 is a bottom 32 to the free outer edge of which is hingedly connected '3, tuck 34. A valve flap 36 is struck-from the-body of tuck 34, the flap being completely severed from the tuck throughout its entire margin excepting only a hinge line 38 which is spaced from and parallel with the hinge line 40 forming the juncture between bottom 32 and tuck 34. Valve flap 36 is thus swingable about hinge line 38 to expose an opening 42 in tuck 34.

A locking tongue is struck, as by means of a dit cut, into the bottom marginal body portion of wall H5. The tongue comprises a centrally disposed main body portion 44 together with wings 46 and 41 extendinglaterally away from the sides of said main body portion 44 and hingedly connected thereto as bymeans of. score lines 50 and 52. The hinge line .54, such as a score line, connecting the tongue portion 44 with wall 16 extends only between score lines 50, and 52 which form the hinges for the wings and is of less length than the opening 42 in the tuck. Except for hinge line 54, the tongue 44 is severed completely from wall l6. Notches 56 and 58 are preferably cut into the marginal edge of wall l6 adjacent the ends of tongue wings 46 and 48-.

Hingedly connected to the side of side wall I6 is a joinder flap 60 which is adhered to the free edge face of the opposite end wall l0 and the 1" container is shipped to the consumer or user in fiat or folded condition.

The retailer when ready to box the goods sold, such as shoes, simply pulls a. flat carton from a pile, forces it into rectangular box shape, and moves the. side laps 24 and .26 down into the position indicated in Fig. 2-. Bottom 32 is then moved into closed position, the tuck 34 being inserted inside the wall l6, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 3. I

At the state of operations illustrated in Fig. 3 the central portion 44 of the tongue lies in registry with valve flap 36 in tuck 34. Ihe length of the main central body portion 44, lying between scored hinge lines 56 and 52, is somewhat less than that of opening 42 which is normally closed by valve flap 36. The wing portions 46 and or the tongue extend outwardly beyond .the side margins of opening 42 when the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3. v

The parts after final locking movement are illustrated clearly in Fig. 4. Locking is accomplished by simply exerting pressure on the central portion 44 of the tongue to force-it, along with valve flap 36, inwardly. Alluring this movement the wings 46 and 46 of the tongue-flex outwardly and are enabled to pass easily through the opening 42 in tuck 34. When the tongue in its entirety has been forced throughthe opening 42, the operator simply puts his hand into the open end of the box and moves the valve flap outwardly to force the wings 46 and 48 into face-to-face relation with the inner surface of wall l6. The inherent resiliency of the tongue and valve flap retain the tongue in this position wherein the tuck 34 is precluded from opening movement by engagement with the wings 46 and 48 of the tongue.

It will be noted particularly from Figs. 2, 3 and 4 that the marginal cutbacks 28 and 36 of the bottom laps provide adequate clearance for inward movement of the tongue and valve flap during this final locking movement. Furthermore, it is important to note that these side margins of bottom laps 24 and 26, when the carton is closed, lie adjacent the valve flap 36 and preclude any substantial movement inward- 137 of the valve flap and tongue, thus doubly insuring locking engagement of the tongue within the opening in the tuck 34.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of the device for purposes of illustration, many of the details of construction are of no particular critical significance, and for that reason I wish to be limited only by the appended claim.

What I claim is: I

A container of the class described comprising side walls, side laps hinged to the edges of opposite side walls, a bottom hinged to the edge of an intermediate side wall, a tuck hinged to the free edge of said bottom, a valve flap struck from said tuck, and a locking tongue struck into the marspaced from the hinge line of said tuck to expose in the tuck an opening having one margin substantially coincidental with the hinge line oi the tuck, and a locking tongue struck into the marginal body portion of the remaining side wall and having a central main body portion hinged thereto along a line parallel to and spaced inwardly from the free edge of the wall and or less length than the opening in the tuck, the outer edge of the tongue being in line with the edge of said remaining side wall, said tongue including at each side hinged, substantially semi-circular wings extending laterally beyond the ends of the tongue hinge and projecting beyond the side margins of said tuck opening whereby when the bottom is in fully closed position the main body portion of the tongue is in registry with the opening in said tuck and said tongue may be forced inwardly through the tuck opening against the resistance of the valve flap to position the outer faces of the wings of said tongue in face-to-face relation with the inner surface of the tuck, the inner face of the main body portion of the tongue being in face to-face relation with the outer surface of the tuck and the outer face being exposed, the lateral edges of the side laps adjacent the tuck when in closed position being cut away to facili- .tate locking movement of the tongue and valve References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

